Latchless door hinge



5 Sheets-Sheet 1 D L M R 4 o o z 5 MD X5 2 w M m M WM 1 a m b B 11 0 24Mvf Z 4 ?O .L IF. b 1 1 5 8 3 2 w v J 6 A, .5 6

Sept. 14, 1965 R. D. MacD LATCHLESS DOOR HINGE Filed Nov. 5, 1962ATTORNEYS Sept. 14, 1965 R. D. MacD 3,205,532

LATCHLESS DOOR HINGE Filed Nov. 5, l962 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 N 98 [Ill/ill74 H4 H2 INVENTOR.

5 Rosam- D. MAc'DoNALu (m-w Pam ATTO RN EYS Sept. 14, 1965 R. D. MDONALD 3,205,532

LATCHLES S DOOR HINGE Filed Nov. 5, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

ROBERT TD. MACDONALD @1 Vflow.

ATTORNE-X l United States Patent 3,205,532 LATCHLESS DOOR HINGE RobertD. MacDonald, Tecumseh, Mich., assignor to The Bildwell Company,Tecumseh, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Filed Nov. 5, 1962, Ser. No.235,217 4 Claims. (Cl. 16180) This invention relates to an improvedhinge for latch less doors and more particularly to a hinge capable ofurging a door toward and beyond its closed position so that the doorremains securely closed without the necessity of employing a latch.

Hinges of the general nature with which the present invention isconcerned are designed to keep a door tightly closed without any latchat all and are primarily used for small doors, such as for cabinets. Toaccomplish this, the hinge has a spring on one portion which contacts anengageable part on a second portion in such a manner that the door isurged beyond its normally-closed position. Hence, the door, when closed,is continuously urged against the door stop and a latch is notnecessary. Elimination of the latch eliminates the cost of it and thecost of installation, which is often a time consuming procedure in orderto align the latch components properly. Further, the latch componentsoften become misaligned during changes in the weather, particularlyduring periods of high and low humidity, so that readjustment isperiodically required. Misalignment also occurs during wear of thecomponents and settlement of the building containing the door and doorframe. Hinges of this nature also have the advantage of closing the doortightly without bouncing, even if it is slammed shut.

The latchless door hinge according to the invention has severaladvantages over those heretofore known. The new hinge is less expensive,having fewer components and less complicated ones. The new hinge alsohas increased closing power which is particularly advantageous forheavier doors, such as those for large cabinets. In addition, the hingescan be pre-assembled in order to reduce field labor rather than havingto be assembled on the job site when the doors are hinged to the frames.

It is, therefore, a principal object of the invention to provide alatchless door hinge having the advantages outlined above.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof,reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary plan view, with parts in cross section, of acabinet, latchless door, and hinge embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view in perspective of the hinge shown in FIG. 1,but in an open position;

FIG. 3 is a view in horizontal cross section taken along the line 3-3 ofFIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view in cross section similar to FIG. 3, but with the hingein a closed position;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary plan view, with parts in cross section similarto FIG. 1, but showing a modified hinge;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view in perspective of the hinge shown in FIG. 5,but in an open position;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the hinge shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the hinge of FIGS. 5-7, in a closed position,with parts broken away and with parts in cross section;

FIG. 9 is a detailed view in cross section taken along the line 99 ofFIG. '7;

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIGS. 1 and 5 but showing a furthermodified hinge;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged view in perspective of the hinge shown in FIG.10, but in an open position;

"ice

FIG. 12 is a plan view of the hinge of FIG. 11, with parts broken awayand with parts in section;

FIG. 13 is a plan view of the hinge of FIGS. 10-12, in a closedposition, with parts broken away and with parts in section; and

FIG. 14 is a view in cross section taken along the line 1414 of FIG. 11.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1, a cabinetindicated at 10 includes side walls 12, a hinge frame member 14, and adoor stop frame member 16. The latter includes a suitable door stopbumper 18 which can also be affixed to a door 20 instead, if desired.The door 20, as shown, is of the overlay type, being slightly largerthan the cabinet opening, and has beveled edges 22 which enable the doorto be opened without the use of a door knob.

A butt hinge 24, two or more of which are employed with the door 20,includes a first portion 26 which is attached to the hinge frame member14 and a second portion 28 which is afiixed to the inner surface of thedoor 20. The first portion 26 includes a back plate 30 having openings32 therein to receive screws 34 which are turned into the frame member14 to affix the first hinge portion 26 thereto. The plate 30 extendsinwardly, in this instance, toward the cabinet opening so that thescrews 34 are at least partially hidden by the door 20, when closed. Apair of end tabs 36 are bent upwardly from the hinge plate 30 with thetabs 36 having notches 38 therein to receive, position, and support aresilient spring rod 40 which can be of spring wire or other suitablytempered metal. The rod 40 extends longitudinally of the hinge portion26 and includes an enlarged pressure member 42 at an intermediateportion thereof urged outwardly away from the hinge plate 30 by the rod40 which is maintained in a sprung or bowed position. A side plate 44 isbent upwardly from the back plate 30 and is curved at its end portionsto form hinge pin bearing sleeves 46 to receive a hinge pin 48. End ears50 are bent from the ends of the side plate 44 to hold the pin 48 inplace. The ears 5t) overlap the spring rod tabs 36, in this instance, sothat they help to retain the spring rod 40 in place. Retaining ears 52also are bent upwardly from intermediate portions of the back plate 30,on each side of the enlarged member 42, to retain the member 42 and therod 40 in position.

The second hinge portion 28 includes an offset, T- shaped hinge plate 54having elongate openings 56 and a circular opening 58 therein to receivescrews 60 by means of which the plate 54 can be attached to the innersurface of the door 20. The plate 54 includes an intermediate sleevebearing 62 which can be aligned with the sleeve bearings 46 wheninserted therebetween to receive the hinge pin 48. The pin 48 extendsthrough the intermediate sleeve bearing 62 to enable the second hingeportion 28 to be pivotally connected to the first hinge portion 26. Theintermediate bearing 62 differs from the end sleeve bearings 46 in oneimportant respect. The sleeve bearings 62 has a notch 64 which issufiiciently long and wide to receive a portion of the pressure member42 when the door is closed. The bearing 62 and a recess edge orengageable part 66 hold the spring rod 40 in a sprung position displacedfrom its normal or unsprung position so that the member 42 rides on theedge 66 with the force of the spring rod 40 transmitted through theenlarged member 42 and the edge 66 to one side of the hinge pin 48.Torque thereby is provided which urges the door to a position beyond itsclosed position, forming an angle of approximately 3 (FIG. 4) with theclosed position, with an angle from about 2 to at least 10 beingsuitable. The position of the part or edge 66 of the notch 64 determinesthe extent to which the door 20 will tend to move beyond the closedposition, for a given 3 size of the pressure member 42 and position ofthe spring rod 40.

When the door 20 is open, and the hinge 24 is as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3,the pressure member 42 rides against the intermediate sleeve 62 becauseof the force of the spring rod 40, but the force exerted on the sleeve62 is on a line directly through the pin 48 so that the spring rod 40has no appreciable effect upon the opening and the closing of the door20, only producing a slight drag. As the door 20 moves toward its closedposition, and reaches an angle of about 25 to the plane of the front ofthe cabinet 10, the pressure member 42 begins to move past a positionwhich is tangential to the sleeve 62 at the part 66. When this occurs,the force of the spring rod 40 will act through the part. 66 and theline of force will pass to one side of the hinge pin 48 and establishtorque which urges the hinge portion 28 and the door 20 toward theclosed position. This torque continues to be applied even after the door20 reaches its closed position, against the bumper 18, and would movethe hinge portion 28 until the pressure member 42would hit the hinge pin48 or contact the hinge plate 54 on the opposite side of the recess 64,or until the back plates 31] and 54.contacted one another. Since thedoorcannot move beyond the closedposition against the bumper 18, theforce of the spring rod 40 thereby continues to act upon the door andretain it in the closed position. Because of the continuous action ofthe force, any bouncing of the door 21), even if slammed shut, is heldto a minimum.

From the above discussion and description, it will be seen that thehinge 24 is relatively uncomplicated and can be produced quiteinexpensively. Further, the spring rod 40 can be of almost any suitablesize so as to produce a wide variation in force upon the edge 66 of thehinge member 28. It may also be noted that the spring 24 can be fullyassembled during the manufacture thereof so that the only field laborinvolved is attaching the back plate 30 of the hinge portion 26 to theframe member 14 and attaching the plate 54 of the hinge portion 28 tothe door 20.

Referring to the modification of FIGS. -9, a cabinet 68 includes sidewalls 70, a hinge frame member 7 2, and a door stop frame member 74having a bumper 76. A door 77, again of the overlay type in thisinstance, covers the cabinet opening and is hinged to the frame member72 by a modified hinge 78 embodying the invention. The

hinge 78 includes a first portion 80 and a second portion 82 pivotallyconnected thereto. The first portion 88 includes a back plate 84 havingopenings 86 to receive screws 88 which are turned into the hinge framemember 72 to aflix the hinge 78 thereto. The first portion 88 alsoincludes an extension plate 91) having a pivot pin opening 92 (FIG. 9)at the outer end thereof to receive a pivot pin or rivet 94. The opening92 is larger than the pin 94 and is of non-circular shape to receive anon-circular projection 96 of a sleeve bearing 98. has a flat surface109 (FIG. 8) forming an edge or engageable part 102.

The second portion 82 of the hinge 78 includes a back plate 104 havingopenings 106 and 103 to receive screws 110 which are turned into thedoor 77 to affix the hinge portion 82 thereto. The portion 82 alsoincludes an extension plate 112 which extends past the upper or loweredge of the door 77, the edges being recessed for theextension 112, ifdesired. The extension 112 has an opening 114 near the outer end thereofto receive an end of the pivot rivet 94 which is then flared to form apermanent pivotal connection between the portions 80 and 82. The sleevebearing 98 between the extensions 90 and 112 facilitates pivotalmovement between them, the bearing 98 preferably being of a slipperyplastic material such as Teflon or Delrin. The extension 112 has anupturned flange 116 along a diagonal edge thereof and an upturnedretaining ear 118 struck upwardly from the extension 112 and spaced fromthe flange 116. A spring rod 120 is The bearing 98 4 held between theflange 116 and the ear 118 with the free end of the rod 120 riding onthe bearing 98. The bearing holds the rod 120 in a sprung positiondisplaced from its normal or unsprung condition.

When the door 77 is opened, the hinge 78 is in the position shown inFIGS. 6 and 7 with the free end of the spring rod 120 contacting thearcuate portion of the bearing 98 with the force of the spring rod 120being directed through the pivot pin 94. Hence, only a slight dragresults and this is kept'to a minimum because of the minimum frictionbetween the rod 120 and thebearing 98. As the door. 77 is moved toward aclosed position and forms an included angle of roughly 25 with the faceof the cabinet 68, the spring rod 120 comes in contact with the part 102of the bearing 98 and begins to exert a force -to one side of the pivotpin 94' as it moves beyond a position tangential ,to the bearing 98 atthe part 102. The

1 resulting torque urges the door toward the closed position and thetorque remains even after the door is closed because the spring rod '120still contacts only the part 102, rather than the entire flat surface100. Hence, the force of the spring rod 120 continues to act to one sideof the pivot pin 94 and the door is urged past a closed position.

As with they hinge of FIGS. 1-5, thehinge 78 is preferably arranged sothat the door would ordinarily move, if not restricted by the framemember 74, to a position approximately 3 (FIG. 8) beyond the closedposition, although any angle from 2 to a least 10 is suitable.

v Referring to the modification of FIGS. 10-13, a cabinet 122 includesside walls 124. a hinge frame member 126, and a door stop frarnemember128 having a door bumper 130. A door 132 again is of the overlay typeand is pivotally attached to the hinge frame member 126 by a hinge 134.The hinge 134 includes a first portion 136 and a second portion 138which are pivotally connected. The firstportion 136 includes a backplate 140v having openings 142 to receive, screws 144 for fastening theportion 136 to the inner surface of the frame member 126, in thisinstanae. The back plate 140 also forms a groove 146. (FIG. 14) whichreceives a spring rod 148 having a loop 150 afiixed tothe plate 140 by arivet 152. The groove 146 enables the rod 148 to be flushwith the backsurface of the plate140 so that the plate 140 can fit flush against thehinge frame member 126. The back plate 140. also has an out-turnedflange 154, part of which is bent outwardly to provide aplate extension156. The

I end of the extension 156 has an opening 158 (FIG. 12)

which receives a pivot rivet 160 similar to the rivet 94.

The hinge portion 138 includes a back plate 162 having elongatedopenings 164 to receive screws 166 to affix the back plate 162 to theinner surface of the door 132.

1 The plate 162 also has an extension 168 bent therefrom with an opening170 (FIG. 13) to receive'a non-circular from its normal unsprungposition.

When the door 132 is open, as shown inFIGS. 11 and 12, the spring rod148 contacts the arcuate surface of the bear1ng174 and has noappreciable effect on the opening and closing of the door. However, whenthe door is moved toward the closed position and reaches an angle ofroughly 25-30 to the front plane of'the cabinet 122,

the spring rod 148, contacts thepart 178 of the bearing 174'. As theouter portion of the spring rod 148 moves beyond a position tangentialto the bearing 174 at the part 178, the force of the spring rod isdirected to one side of the pivot pin 160, thereby producing a torquetending to move the door 132 beyond the closed position.

Again, this force would be exerted until the door would reach a positionabout 3 beyond the closed one, with a position anywhere from 2 to atleast 10 beyond the closed position being satisfactory.

Various modifications of the above described embodiments of theinvention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and it is to beunderstood that such modifications can be made without departing fromthe scope of the invention, if they are within the spirit and the tenorof the depending claims:

I claim:

1. A hinge to pivotally connect a door to a frame so that the door willclose tightly without a latch, said hinge comprising a first portion anda second portion, a hinge pin pivotally connecting said first and secondportions, said first portion including a hinge plate to receive afastener for attaching said first portion to one of said frame and saiddoor, two spaced hinge pin bearing sleeves extending from said hingeplate and receiving said hinge pin, said second hinge portion includinga second hinge plate to receive a fastener for attaching said secondportion to the other of said door and said frame, said second hingeportion having an intermediate hinge pin bearing sleeve receiving anintermediate portion of said hinge pin between said two bearing sleeves,said intermediate hearing sleeve having an arcuate surface and a recessforming an edge with said surface, spring means having end portions heldby said first hinge portion and having an intermediate portion urgedtoward said intermediate bearing sleeve, a pressure member mounted onthe intermediate portion of said spring means, said pressure memberbeing urged against said arcuate surface of said intermediate bearingsleeve for all open positions of said door, said spring means and saidengageable edge being positioned such that said pressure member movesbeyond said edge and partially into said recess as said second hingeportion is moved to a closed position, whereby said pressure member isurged by said spring means against said edge of said second hingeportion to bias said door beyond the closed position.

27 A hinge to pivotally connect a door to a frame so that the door willclose tightly without a latch, said hinge comprising a first portion anda second portion, a hinge pin pivotally connecting said first and secondportions, said first portion including a hinge plate to receive afastener for attaching said first portion to one of said frame and saiddoor, two spaced hinge pin bearing sleeves extending from said hingeplate and receiving said hinge pm, said second hinge portion including asecond hinge plate to receive a fastener for attaching said secondportion to the other of said door and said frame, said second hingeportion having an intermediate hinge pin bearing sleeve receving anintermediate portion of said hinge pin between said two bearing sleeves,said intermediate hearing sleeve having an arcuate surface and a recessforming an edge with said surface, spring means held by said first hingeportion between said first hinge plate and said bearing sleeves wherebysaid spring means is partially hidden by said bearing sleeves, saidspring means having an intermediate portion urged toward saidintermediate bearing sleeve, said spring means lying in a planegenerally parallel to said hinge pin, a pressure member mounted on theintermediate portion of said spring means, said pressure member beingurged against said arcuate surface of said intermediate bearing sleevefor all open positions of said door, said spring means and said edgebeing positioned such that said pressure member moves beyond said edgeand partially into said recess as said second hinge portion is moved tothe closed position, whereby said pressure member is urged by saidspring means against said edge of said second hinge portion to bias saiddoor beyond the closed position.

3. A cabinet hinge to pivotally connect a cabinet door to a framedefining an access opening into the cabinet, said hinge comprising afirst portion and a second portion, a hinge pin pivotally connectingsaid first portion and said second portion, said first portion includinga hinge plate to be fastened to one of said door and said cabinet frame,a first bearing sleeve extending from said hinge plate through whichsaid hinge pin extends, said second hinge portion including a secondhinge plate to be fastened to one of said door and said cabinet frame,said second portion including a second bearing sleeve to receive thehinge pin and contiguous with said first bearing sleeve, said secondbearing sleeve including engageable means, a heavy spring, means on saidfirst hinge portion for holding end portions of said spring in a mannerto urge an intermediate portion of said spring toward said secondbearing sleeve and toward said engageable means, a cylindrical pressuremember mounted on said intermediate portion of said spring, saidcylindrical pressure member being pressed against said second bearingsleeve when said cabinet door is open and pressed against saidengageable means by said spring to bias said cabinet door beyond theclosed position when in the closed position.

4. A cabinet hinge to pivotally connect a cabinet door to a framedefining an access opening into the cabinet, said hinge comprising afirst portion and a second portion, a hinge pin pivotally connectingsaid first portion and said second portion, said first portion includinga hinge plate to be fastened to one of said door and said cabinet frame,a first bearing sleeve extending from said hinge plate through whichsaid hinge pin extends, said second hinge portion including a secondhinge plate to be fastened to one of said door and said cabinet frame,said second portion including a second bearing sleeve to receive thehinge pin and contiguous with said first bearing sleeve, said secondbearing sleeve including engageable means, a heavy wire spring lying ina plane parallel to said hinge pin, means on said first hinge portionfor holding end portions of said spring in a manner to urge anintermediate portion of said spring toward said second bearing sleeveand toward said engageable means, a plastic pressure member mounted onsaid intermediate portion of said spring and urged against said secondbearing portion for all positions of the door, said pressure memberbeing pressed against said engageable means by said spring to bias saidcabinet door beyond the closed position when in the closed position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 403,494 5/89Streeter l6190 1,379,814 5/21 Gustafson 16-l42 2,059,582 11/36 Hurewitz16184 X 2,208,158 7/40 Hiscock 16-128 X 2,388,021 10/45 Thomas 16l42 X2,702,651 2/55 Graham 220-31 2,811,740 11/57 Bevilacqua 16142 3,006,03910/61 Brydolf 16135 X 3,102,307 9/63 Johnson 20l6 DONLEY I. STOCKINGS,Primary Examiner.

1. A HINGE TO PIVOTALLY CONNECT A DOOR TO A FRAME SO THAT THE DOOR WILLCLOSE TIGHTLY WITHOUT A LATCH, SAID HINGE COMPRISING A FIRST PORTION ANDA SECOND PORTION,A HINGE PIN PIVOTALLY CONNECTING SAID FIRST AND SECONDPORTIONS, SAID FIRST PORTION INCLUDING A HINGE PLATE TO RECEIVE AFASTENER FOR ATTACHING SAID FIRST PORTION TO ONE OF SAID FRAME AND SAIDDOOR, TWO SPACED HINGE PIN BEARING SLEEVES EXTENDING FROM SAID HINGEPLATE AND RECEIVING SID HINGE PIN, SAID SECOND HINGE PORTION INCLUDING ASECOND HINGE PLATE TO RECEIVE A FASTENER FOR ATTACHING SAID SECONDPORTION TO THE OTHER OF SAID DOOR AND SAID FRAME, SAID SECOND HINGEPORTION HAVING AN INTERMEDIATE HINGE PIN BEARING SLEEVE RECEIVING ANINTERMEDIATE PORTION OF SAID HINGE PIN BETWEEN SAID TWO BEARING SLEEVES,SAID INTERMEDIATE BEARING SLEEVE HAVING AN ARCUATE SURFACE AND A RECESSFORMING AN EDGE WITH SAID SURFACE, SPRING MEANS HAVING END PORTIONS HELDBY SAID SURFACE, SPRING MEANS HAVING AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION URGEDTOWARD SAID INTERMEDIATE BEARING SLEEVE, A PRESSURE MEMBER MOUNTED ONTHE INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF SAID SPRING MEANS, SAID PRESSURE MEMBERBEING URGED AGAINST SAID ARCUATE SURFACE OF SAID INTERMEDIATE BEARINGSLEEVE FOR ALL OPEN POSITIONS OF SAID DOOR, SAID SPRING MEANS AND SAIDENGAGEABLE EDGE BEING POSITIONED SUCH THAT SAID PRESSURE MEMBER MOVESBEYOND SAID EDGE AND PARTIALLY INTO SAID RECESS AS SAID SECOND HINGEPORTION IS MOVED TO A CLOSED POSITION, WHEREBY SAID PRESSURE MEMBER ISURGED BY SAID SPRING MEANS AGAINST SAID EDGE OF SAID SECOND HINGEPORTION TO BIAS SAID DOOR BEYOND THE CLOSED POSITION.